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Doris Aston
Doris Aston was a patient featured in Series Three, Episode Two. She was portrayed by Seline Hizli. Overview Doris was pregnant with her fourth child when Jenny took over her antenatal care. Jenny was struck by Doris' apparent complacency and lack of preparedness when her due date was so close. Trixie tells Jenny that Doris' husband, Cyril, is a bully. Jenny visits Doris, but finds the house empty. On a nearby street, Jenny runs into Doris about to board a bus with a heavy suitcase. Doris tries to leave but Jenny persists in her questions until the bus leaves. Defeated and miserable, Doris admits she was trying to leave to give birth in Brighton as the baby is not Cyril's. Jenny takes Doris to Nonnatus House to meet with Sister Julienne. A distraught Doris tells them that she can't stay for the birth and can't keep her baby. Sister Julienne sagely points out that Cyril would not know that the baby was his and plenty of men unknowingly raise other men's children. Doris says that that would not work. When pressed, she shouts that the baby is "coloured". Jenny and Sister Julienne formulate a plan: Doris will tell her husband that she has to go into hospital until the baby is born. Once she has given birth, the baby will be adopted and Doris will say that it was stillborn. Doris is heartbroken, but knows that this is the only way that the rest of her family will be able to stay together. When Cyril arrives home, she tells him that she will be going into hospital the following day, and that her mother will be coming to look after the children. Not overly sympathetic, Cyril agrees. However, during the night, Doris' waters break. She cleans up the mess and is forced to act as though all is normal until the family leave in the morning, despite being in the first stage of labour and therefore in a fair amount of pain. As soon as she is alone, she rings Nonnatus House in a panic. Jenny goes straight to the house, but it is too late to move Doris. They will have to deliver the baby and have him or her out of the house before Cyril arrives home. Thankfully, the labour progresses smoothly, though Doris does suffer a slight perineal tear, so Jenny calls Dr. Turner to come and stitch it. The baby is a girl, and is indeed mixed-race. Doris falls in love with her baby straight away, and can't take her eyes off of her, naming her Carol and expressing how perfect she is. Jenny calls the social worker to come and collect Carol as soon as possible; it will be a couple of hours until she is able to get there. A door opening; Jenny says that it must be Dr. Turner. However, it is Cyril who enters the room and sees Doris with the swaddled baby. Rapt, he explains he came home early as he got a feeling that something was happening. He approaches the bed, and both Jenny and Doris shrink away. Doris says that she's so sorry, and Cyril, with confusion and mistrust, pulls the blanket back and sees the baby's skin colour. He leaps up with rage and calls Doris a whore, physically threatening her and the baby. Jenny whisks the baby away and Dr. Turner enters, yelling for Cyril to step back, go outside and calm down, otherwise he will call the police. Cyril tells Doris to get rid of the baby, or he will. The situation is no longer safe for Carol to remain in the house, and so Dr. Turner agrees that Shelagh and himself will keep her overnight until she can be given to the adoption agency. Hating herself, Jenny takes the baby from Doris and gives her to Dr. Turner. He leaves as both Doris and Jenny weep. Over the following days, Doris falls into a deep depression. Cyril has told their sons that their sister died, and their eldest, Larry, sneaks in to cuddle his mother. Doris pens a letter to Carol and begs Jenny to give it to her new parents so that Carol will know that she was loved and her that mother so wanted to keep her. However, the social worker refuses the letter when Jenny tries to pass it on, saying that the adoptive parents have stated that they want no forward contact. Jenny eventually cajoles Doris into getting dressed and venturing outside with Larry. A woman approaches her and asks where the baby is. Doris is too distressed to reply, so Larry looks at the woman sadly and says, "no baby". Doris hollowly echoes her son; "no baby", and walks away. Category:Characters Category:Females Category:Patients